La Bete should be the quintessential Capitol Hill restaurant. Tucked into an odd little corner off Olive Way, it breathes life into its space in a way that more restaurants should emulate. It starts with the beautiful and massive kitchen counter: hewn from a single tree, its crenulated edge seems to create many inviting pockets to cozy up to. The elegant chandeliers and tasteful china show that decorating isn’t just about spending a ton of money; it’s about understanding the space your restaurant will inhabit. Large windows allow for plenty of people-watching, while the well-spaced tables allow for a sense of privacy even within a relatively small space. The atmosphere is inviting and refreshingly unpretentious for the Hill, and the service staff is always well-dressed. La Bete has much more to recommend it than just the beauty of its interior, but from the standpoint of pure style, it remains (unfortunately) a bit of an outlier among many of its Seattle brethren.